Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - Bengals Make BIG Moves on Defense, Pass on Caleb Downs in Latest Mock Draft

Episode Date: April 5, 2026

If Caleb Downs is there at 10, you pick him, right? Maybe not! The guys discuss the scenario where a pass rusher may just make more sense than Downs, and then navigate a 4-round mock draft that scoops... up fallers in the first three rounds. We discuss the David Bailey vs. Rueben Bain vs. Caleb Downs discussion at 10. Then, value meets need with Chris Johnson, Lee Hunter, Jacob Rodriguez, and Jake Golday in the day 2 discussions as Jake Liscow and James Rapien work on adding premium defensive talent for Al Golden's defense.  Everydayer Club If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everydayerclub Join the Locked On Bengals Insider Community! https://joinsubtext.com/lockedonbengals Find and follow Locked On Bengals on your favorite podcast platforms: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/locked-on-bengals-daily-podcast-on-the-cincinnati-bengals/id1159723162 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7AObc0lh0WmQl5fJVgtajs Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vbG9ja2Vkb25iZW5nYWxz?sa=X&ved=0CAYQrrcFahcKEwio_sXtj8nuAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAg Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-on-bengals Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! TurboTax This year you’re getting a major upgrade — Intuit TurboTax now has in-person locations nationwide. Visit http://TurboTax.com/local to book your appointment today. FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now new customers can bet just five dollars and get two-hundred and fifty dollars in bonus bets if your first bet wins.Visit https://FANDUEL.COM to get started — Play Your Game. Indeed Listeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/podcast. Betterhelp This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Sign up and get 10% off at http://BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDON. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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Starting point is 00:00:00 There's only three Mondays until the NFL draft will be here. Let's get into another mock draft Monday. You are Locked on Bengals, your daily Cincinnati Bengals podcast. Part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. What up, Bengals fans, and welcome to another episode of the Lockdown Bengals podcast. He's James Rapine. I'm Jake Lisco, and today we've got another mock draft Monday for you. It's brought to you by Fandul, where right now new customers can bet just us. $5 to get $250 in bonus bets if your first bet wins.
Starting point is 00:00:40 Head to fandal.com to get started. And James is fun to play through different scenarios in these mock draft Mondays. That's kind of the point of the exercise is to take a look at what we think the best path could be for the Bengals if X, Y, Z happens in the first round. And what's the butterfly effect, obviously, from there. And last week we explored a scenario where pretty much all of the different. defensive options were gone. This week we're going to hop into the A to Z sports mock draft simulator. This is a relatively new one that's launched this month, and it seems like there's a whole bunch of new ones coming out this year, James, but we're going to go into a scenario
Starting point is 00:01:21 where in the top 10, we've seen Arvel Reese get picked as expected. Mansour Delane goes seven, Sunny Stiles, goes eight, Ruben Bain, goes nine, and that's three straight defensive targets or potential targets for the Bengals going and picks 7 through 9, but that leaves us in a situation at pick number 10, where the top defensive options are David Bailey and Caleb Downs. We get to the scenario where I think there would be a split in the fan base, certainly when you get to a situation like you had in the Lance Zerline mock that he posted over the weekend where it was Ruben Bain, Sunny Stiles, and Caleb Downs, all available to the beach. The Bengals, Caleb Downs and Sunny Stiles end up going a little bit later.
Starting point is 00:02:08 As the Bengals picked Rubin Bain in Lance Zerlinds mock draft, and you saw the premium positions, tackles, wide receivers getting picked in the top 10. That would be the scenario for the Bengals where potentially you would have some options at 10 between a few defensive players. And here we have to figure out, doesn't make sense to go with the high end pass rushing upside versus Caleb Downs, who could be that playmaker all over the back end of the defense. Yeah, for me, this is one of the best case scenarios you can have. And the Bengals would certainly feel this way as well.
Starting point is 00:02:44 I would be stunned if in this scenario they did not take David Bailey and dance, pound the chair, dab each other up, jump up and down. You might see Zach Taylor do a box jump onto the draft table if you could get David Bailey at 10. and look, I don't think that he's this flawless prospect, but I don't think you care at 10. I think you look at this and you're like, all right, well, he's going to give you juice. You need juice. And yeah, Caleb Downs is a heck of a prospect. I think Caleb Downs is very much in play at 10.
Starting point is 00:03:22 But part of why you don't go into the draft with a gaping hole at safety and a good safety class is because you don't want to be like, oh, well, we have to get Caleb Downs at 10 if he's there. You don't want to have to force it. And this is an example where as great as Caleb Downs is, it's hard for me to see the scenario where he is the best player on their board in this scenario. I think there's a couple of things like their history says they're going to have a really high grade on Caleb Downs. And I know that there are some that things.
Starting point is 00:04:00 that the Kyle Dugger signing and I was thinking more about it over the weekend. Daxel was 11th on their board, 11th on their draft board. And they got him 31st overall. But they held him in really high regard. They didn't have a plan for him. And obviously he kind of bounced around and bounced around until he found a home. In this scenario, the plan for David Bailey is very, very simple. Give us juice on the edge and more juice and then some extra juice and be as
Starting point is 00:04:30 competent as you can against the run. And so I think it would just be so cut and dry. Now, if the Bengals had Downs Fifth and Bailey 10th, would they go the other way? I think so. But I think that that's a pretty unlikely scenario. And this is one of the best case scenarios where you get this premium pass rusher. He falls to 10 because of these other positions, these other needs that some of these teams have. And by the way, like the Brown's taking Carnal Tate, that's very much in play. They need that. I would much rather, than take carnell tate than david bailey i don't want them to add another guy that can hit joe burrow regularly uh so yeah if david bailey could fall to to 10 i think this is a pretty much a no-brainer as close
Starting point is 00:05:13 to a no-brainer as you get yeah i think it would be pretty shocking if david bailey makes it to 10 just because of the pure pass rushing ability there and he has questions like like you said he's not like a perfect prospect he's not a miles garrett kind of prospect he's not an aden hutchinson kind of because he is. He's the second pick. And he might be that there's a world where the Jets go that direction and they don't pick Arvel Reese or in this case they pick Francis Maui Noah. I think those picks are probably flipped.
Starting point is 00:05:45 It would be the chalk scenario in the first round right now. Mendoza Reese Maui Noah might be chalk to Arizona right now if we're talking about favorites. But the way that you get to the scenario for the Bengals is when those couple of wide receivers go, in the top 10, along with Jeremiah Love, and an offensive lineman. And that could happen. That could definitely happen, but I think it would probably be more likely that Bain, with his arm-length concerns, gets you at 10 than Bailey.
Starting point is 00:06:14 But in the world that Bailey does get there, and the NFL does end up picking Ruben Bain ahead of David Bailey, as is a case here. And Sonny Stiles, ahead of David Bailey, as is a case here, I think it's really hard to make an argument that says, maybe the best pure pass rusher in the class. And speed rusher who's going to threaten the corner consistently. And when you start trying to take that corner away from him, he can run through you with speed to power.
Starting point is 00:06:41 One of the best ghost moves in this class has a flashy spin move as well that he uses often. And he wins with these moves consistently. And you saw that the effort ramped up in the run game, he's not going to be the perfect three-down prospect, as you said. who's going to come in right away and be able to play on base downs for you. But if this leads to a package where you're outside rushers on third down or David Bailey outside along with probably Boye-Mafay on the other side, and then you can put some Marstuart and Miles Murphy in some combination on the field as well. Maybe Jonathan Allen is one of those guys on the interior.
Starting point is 00:07:19 You can get a serious amount of pass rushing power onto the field in that package. and David Bailey is probably the linchpin of that at that point. And when there's a guy you can draft who can do that for you, probably take that. And I think that they have bolstered the safety room with a couple of guys, like we talked about last week, gives them the flexibility to make this pick and not have to think too hard about what they're missing.
Starting point is 00:07:44 And another really good prospect in Caleb Dats. Yeah, it's a good point because they go get Brian Cook, right? if they would have just signed a 27-year-old Joey Bosa going into a second contract, well, we'd be like, oh, well, you could go with Caleb Downs. They did that at safety. And so when this young, and I'm just thinking, like, guy, I mentioned Bosa. Like, that's the juice he could bring, but he's healthier and it has more upside and he isn't 31 or whatever, Boza. You know, it's an obvious need.
Starting point is 00:08:20 You can get him on the field. going to stunt the growth of Shamar Stewart or Miles Murphy, and it's going to round out that room. So safety isn't their biggest need anymore. It doesn't mean they shouldn't address it or ignore it or pass on Caleb Downs depending on the scenario. But if this scenario plays out, this fills a gigantic void on the roster and makes them significantly better. So it's a win, win, win.
Starting point is 00:08:48 David Bailey, welcome to Cincinnati. Mattie, hope you like Skyline, and I know you're going to like graders. I just like that there's no one else we're really discussing here, because I don't think there's anyone else that you would. Like, Germaude maybe is in the discussion if you're really expanding the candidates. And then the other guys available here, all the offensive players. Spencer, Fanoe is really good. And if the defensive players are gone, should be in the conversation.
Starting point is 00:09:13 Mackay Lenin, Monroe Freeling, and Vega, Yawani would be the next guys. But I mean, Caldric Falk is going to be mentioned to, of course, but David Bailey. It's David Bailey, baby. David. That's a pretty easy one. So we're going to go David Bailey here in the first round and see who our options are in the second round coming up next. Workplace chaos deadlines stacking up. Look, it is tough to juggle everything that you have to do.
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Starting point is 00:10:21 com slash podcast for less stress, less time, more results in finding candidates that you can interview that check all of the boxes, all of the experience right now. Again, Indeed.com slash podcast, and by the way, you're going to get a $75 job credit so you can get your job posted and featured on Indeed sponsored jobs. All you have to do, let them know, locked on Bengals sent you. Go to Indeed.com slash podcast, terms and conditions apply. Need to hire? This is an in job, a job for indeed sponsored jobs well jake we have david bailey and so naturally you address the pass rush all focuses on the defense obviously i'm always thinking wide receiver but there's one name that certainly stood out uh available here at pick 41 before we get to that let's just kind of go over
Starting point is 00:11:14 who's already been picked who's off the board and your guy d angelo pond stands out cash is how another guy that stands out. You want to talk about juice on the edge. He's someone out of Texas A&M that I want to mention because I think he would certainly be in the mixing round too. I don't know if he even falls as far as he did, which was to pick 38 to Houston. DeAngelo Pons, of course he ends up in the division. Wouldn't that be annoying if he goes to the Cleveland Browns? Our Mason Thomas off the board in the second round, Ty Simpson fell to the Jets, picked 33 overall. Emmanuel McNeill Warren would have been really intriguing at safety. He goes 37th overall
Starting point is 00:11:50 and so there are some guys Colton Hood the other Tennessee corner goes in the 30s so some guys that I think would be in the discussion in the mix had they fell to 41 they didn't but a corner did and CJ I'm going to call him
Starting point is 00:12:08 3K instead of 2K Chris Johnson out of San Diego State is on the board and right away that stood out to me as a favorite to be this pick because he fills a need and at the same time, pairs really well with David Bailey
Starting point is 00:12:23 in the Bengals quest to add playmakers and solid prospects to a defense that needs more talent. Yeah, there's a significant cliff at corner after Chris Johnson in this draft. There's some other players that we're going to talk about that I think we're going to consider here and that I think you could make really strong cases for, but the strength of the prospect in Chris Johnson
Starting point is 00:12:44 is probably going to take us in that direction. if Emmanuel McNeill-Worne is still available. Colton Hood, still available. Like, if those guys get to your pick 41 and they're on the board, you're having probably a different conversation here. I think McNeil Warren does force you to talk about him as well. And this mock draft, Dylan Thineman, gets all the way to 31 as well. And Caleb makes to 29 in this one.
Starting point is 00:13:09 So some defensive targets for the second round that if they're there, you would be talking about those guys, but they're not there. So we're going to talk about the guys that are. I do want to mention one offensive guy here at the top of the board. If you're watching on YouTube, you can already see this. Maxahina Chor from Arizona State would be the premier developmental tackle prospect who has the ability to be a really, really good tackle in this draft class. He had really impressive tape against the guy we picked in the first round.
Starting point is 00:13:40 David Bailey, like that Arizona State Texas Tech game, is one of the first games I watched for. David Bailey and I was like, man, really this is a guy we're talking about as a top 10 player, but David Bailey did eventually get his in that game. It just was a fun matchup with him in a Hinajah, and I thought that the Arizona State Young tackle did a good job there. He's like relatively new to the game and everything, and so there will be some development for him, and he could be a really good, I'm going to be a bridge guy, I'm going to be a swing
Starting point is 00:14:08 tackle in year one, and I can be a starter and a really good starter potentially in year two and beyond. I think that the downside there is that he played right tackle, and so you'd have to figure out how comfortable you are with somebody playing left tackle between Amir Spims and Bahina Tor. But we're going to talk about the defensive players here because Chris Johnson at the top, there are also some interior defensive linemen that we should talk about and Christian Miller and Lee Hunter,
Starting point is 00:14:33 who I think would be in consideration here. If we hadn't taken an edge rusher in the first round and we had gone with Caleb Downs, then you would be talking about Zion Young and Gabe Ikes here. And then, of course, we're going to talk about linebacker, Anthony Hill, Jake Golda, Jacob Rodriguez are the top guys at linebacker Josiah Trotter there as well at the linebacker spot. But do any of those guys warrant significant conversation compared with Chris Johnson for you, James? No.
Starting point is 00:15:03 And I think it's, one, it's what you went with in the first round in the pairing, but two, some of those guys you mention that went. Like Caleb Banks, I think he has a better chance to be here at 41 than Chris Johnson. It feels like Chris Johnson has some momentum. But the reason why I think this is realistic is one of these first round DBs. And maybe it's a safety. Maybe it's a Manuel McNeworn or it might not necessarily be corner. Maybe it's DeAngelo Pons, your guy who I'm not going to argue picking a 5-9 guy at any time because more 5-9 speedy athletic guys in the locker room, the better because I could see eye to eye and I don't have to treat him like Orlando Brown Jr. and look up high into the sky when I'm interviewing them. So selfishly, I'm down
Starting point is 00:15:50 with the Angelo Ponds. But I do think it's pretty realistic that one of these corners, like before the cliff falls to 41. And when the Bengals do their mocks and their different scenarios that a lot of times corner might not be the pick at 10. Could be, certainly. And we've discussed that. But 41 almost seems like the sweet spot where one of these guys may be multiple fall and they can get one. And so for me, of all these options, and there are some good options, and I think it is reassuring when you think of the defense and the needs and all of those things, or you want the swing tackle, which I certainly won't argue, even though it doesn't feel like that's necessarily their plan right now. Receiver, same thing. I think there's some fun receivers,
Starting point is 00:16:35 but I think they'll wait there as well. And when you look at it, you tell whether it's out, golden, I was going to say the coaching staff, Al Golden or Chuck Berks or whoever in that building, hey, you're going to get Chris Johnson and pair him with David Bailey, bolster your pass rush, bolster your coverage. I think that that defensive side of the ball, that defensive coaching staff is going to be really, really excited. Yeah, you got two premier players at their position. And I think that's obviously very valuable.
Starting point is 00:17:05 I do think that the linebacker alternative is potentially compelling here because there's going to be a cliff at linebacker as well, where if we go this direction in the second round, you're really hoping that, like, Josiah Trotter is available to you in the third round. And he's got a consensus 64, 65. On this board, I think he is 60. Kyle Lewis in the third round, also very interesting to me, but I don't know how they would see that fit. That's a different kind of linebacker, the more slot defender kind of player, but since we haven't
Starting point is 00:17:41 taking a safety. Maybe that's the direction they choose to go. If you're looking at safeties here, maybe they do want to look at safety here. We know they've got some interest in Trinand Stoops from Arizona, but Kamari Rams, the AJ Halsey also would be in the conversation of this pick. Later on, you're talking Jalen Kilgore and Wheatley from Penn State. But that's the biggest one here that you would talk about if you were to go in a direction that wasn't Chris Johnson would be like, do we feel comfortable with a different linebacker? If we don't get Golda to be the Sam linebacker or Jacob Rodriguez to go out there, be the leader in that room, those two guys, or even Anthony Hill, again, to be like that downhill
Starting point is 00:18:21 linebacker. If you're not getting one of those guys, who are you getting a linebacker? That would be the thought in my head here. Because with corner, you're moving Dax inside with linebacker. It's just, well, I guess we're going to really rely on those two second year players again. But let's go Chris Johnson, James, and see what our options are in the third round. and hopefully one of those linebackers gets to us. Rodriguez is gone.
Starting point is 00:18:46 And I thought that was the only linebacker I saw picked. Anthony Hill and Jake Golda at the top of the board here, which works out pretty nicely for us. And we can talk through the options, make a pick in the third round, see if we can get to a fourth round today. Coming up next. Today's show is brought you by Fandall.
Starting point is 00:19:07 Fandall is America's number one sports book And the tournament, it's almost over. Hopefully, Yukon can complete it and handle business against Michigan. Yeah, shout out to Dan Hurley. We're certainly biased here on lockdown Bengals. But regardless, maybe you think Michigan's going to handle business. Or maybe you're already thinking about the NBA and the NBA playoffs and what could happen. It seems wide open, especially now that the Lakers are dealing with the injuries they're dealing with.
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Starting point is 00:20:22 And it's kind of just worked out. We kind of just didn't get punished for not taking the linebacker in the second round. If you really wanted Jacob Rodriguez, then I guess you get punished a little bit there. But hoping for him in the third round at this point in the process after the way he tested, feels optimistic. There are some other guys that we should mention. I want to specifically point out, not Brian Parker who's highlighted, if you're watching on YouTube, but J. Sean Barham, who I think is too low on these boards. And if you're talking about a guy that can play that Sam role where he can be that surface linebacker,
Starting point is 00:20:55 the role specifically that Al Golden has talked about, I think that Barham is, or Barham, is definitely in the conversation and would be that hybrid defender that brings a really high level and intriguing skill set out of Michigan. It plays like a Wolverine, like the animal, and also is from Michigan. But Golda also, former defensive lineman, very similar kind of role. You would play Jake Golda in, as you would play Baraman. And Golda, I think having his, or maybe, did he have his visit with the Bengals over the weekend, James? Or is that just in headlines again?
Starting point is 00:21:33 I think it was in headlines again. All of the, it's a local, right? And so you're going to see these top 30 and all of these things. And it's a local. So I don't know exactly when. But they should be in on goal day, right? Like he does fit a lot of what I think they're looking for, especially at this stage.
Starting point is 00:21:54 Like there's levels to it, right? Where like if Sunny Stiles makes it to 10, they may address linebacker there. But in this scenario where you get a pass rusher, that's awesome. And then a top corner is there. well now you're in round three and you still have an addressed linebacker and you hope it works out this way because linebacker is a priority for them but i i don't think
Starting point is 00:22:16 that they're going to to necessarily force it they didn't force it in free agency and so yes i think they're very much in on on gold day would be one of the favorites to be this pick especially in this scenario but uh hill is staring at us too and and that's what's interesting is which which flavor of kool-aid would they want because i i certainly think that they probably go linebacker in this scenario, even though there's some other intriguing weapons, options, pieces on both sides of the ball at this stage of the draft. That would be interesting here at pick 70. 72. Yeah, it's like the younger downhill kind of player, stack linebacker, Anthony Hill, is your guy, but Golda has the athletic toolkit to do, I think, the role they're interested in.
Starting point is 00:23:00 So does Barham. And I think the Barham is also, like, right there with Golda, in terms of who they are as prospects. And if Kyle Lewis is still there, then we should mention him too, just because I think he's awesome. I will mention Kyle Lewis pretty much every time we do one of these. I think he's a really, really interesting player. And we'll talk about him in depth when we talk about each position and targets by day of the draft. And we spent a lot of time on linebacker. We will spend a lot of time on linebacker when we get to that series as well. Some other names here to mention that I don't really feel like we can draft. because of the situation at linebacker and how much pressure we're feeling to address the linebacker position.
Starting point is 00:23:44 Judarian Price, if he's there in the third round at running back, I think it's interesting. The Bengals are doing some homework on running back, mostly day three guys at the position, but not exclusively. Julian Neal and there's another corner. Devin Moore, Keante, Scott, the corner depth really showing up here and also Duke Corner. Chandler Rivers. Also there. And he's later on this board. I think that's a little bit late for him.
Starting point is 00:24:13 But let's pick Jake Golda, shall we? And I just feel that pressure to go and get the thing that Al Golden talked about at the combine. And I think Jake Golda is really that guy. Yeah, I agree. I would take Golda. I really want to make the case for the Skylar Bells here. Like if Skylar Bell is really there at 72, I want the Bengals to be in position to pick him. But they're not.
Starting point is 00:24:36 and they need to continue to add to the defense. So like if you tell me after the first two days, if we're recording on Friday night, and the Bengals have David Bailey, Chris Johnson, and Jake Golda, well, I'll guarantee you,
Starting point is 00:24:50 we might have to bring the woo back, Jake, I might hit the gritty. We might call Jamar Chase and have him give everybody gritty lessons because the defensive help that they were looking for, they would have just gotten by addressing all three levels of the defense. So this is pretty close to like one of the,
Starting point is 00:25:06 best case scenarios realistically for the Bengals from addressing their needs and finding guys that should be able to contribute right away? Well, we've got significant fallers really in each spot. Like I think David Bailey's probably going top five. But if he's there, you take it. I think Chris Johnson, he could be there at 41. I think that it's a coin flip, I would say, at 41 for Chris Johnson. I'm not sure. Jake Golda, I think I'd be pretty shocked if he could get of the third round, not to mention to the Bengals pick in the third round. But if he does, you take him. And so if you can snag those fallers and snag those fallers at positions that we really
Starting point is 00:25:47 wanted to address, that's great. Like we haven't been able to get an interior defensive tackle or an interior defensive lineman. That's kind of a bummer. And that's the big thing we haven't addressed, safety will be the other thing, where if you wanted that slot defender's safety. but here in the fourth round like Keante Scott talking about fallers Keontay Scott is your your slot defender and that's the guy you're going to
Starting point is 00:26:14 I mean take I think you consider that very strongly here Brennan Thompson for Mississippi State the the small slot speed yak's guy be demon like I think you're considering that Brian Parker interior offensive line depth most likely in the NFL there's a number of offensive linemen you can talk about here. But if we were looking at safety, the top guys are going to be Bud Clark and Jalen Kilgore. Jalen Kennedy, also kind of that slot
Starting point is 00:26:42 defender rule. So if we're looking slot defender, there's some options here. For looking at safety, there's some options here. If we're looking offense, Oscar Delp, the other name that I would throw into the mix, just scanning the names at the top of this list. What direction do you want to go in the first list?
Starting point is 00:26:58 I want to go weapon. I'm going weapon here. I want a weapon. I want a weapon. I want something on offense. And look, we've stuck the landing by addressing all three levels of the defense. I totally get it. Do you want to double up a corner? That's part of it. But man, Brennan Thompson and Oscar Delp.
Starting point is 00:27:18 Those are the two that I've really focused in on that I think make a lot of sense. Brennan Thompson, you're right. He's small, speedy, fits exactly, like exactly what if you're, you're drawing up like the downfield threat portion of it would work. Now, here's the problem. He's tiny, smaller than me. Speedy, smaller than me. And by weight by like 25 pounds.
Starting point is 00:27:46 And so what do you think there? What do you think of his return game? I think that's a huge question if you're the Bengals. And then you mentioned Oscar Delp. And I think that tight end in this range is certainly something that that they should be considering. And if he's there, it's tough for me to pass on him. Like I think he's someone that you would look at and say, all right, well, he's got the tools to be a threat in the passing game. It's going to give you enough elsewhere. Let's bring Oscar Delp into our system and see if he can,
Starting point is 00:28:23 even if he doesn't, isn't super productive this year, be an answer for the for the future here at tight end. And that's where the mid-round tight end makes a lot of sense. And that's exactly what this is. So he stands out to me in a big way. Yeah, I think the upside with Oscar dealt to be that all-round tight end is significant. He can block. I mean, the scouting report here,
Starting point is 00:28:44 dominant in-line blocker. And untapped potential in the receiving game, but like it's there. If you look, it's just like throwing the ball more Georgia, please. And that's kind of the... Do the Bengals throw the ball? Do they? You know, I think they should
Starting point is 00:29:00 probably we need to go back in time we need to pick jerry and price because the vengals don't throw the ball they're going to run the ball that we got to go we got to go get the tackle in the second round we got to get jerry and price in the third round got to gear up to run the ball mores too many carries for chase brown and samage p. Ryan we need to get another skilled running back in there for the other hundred carries in this what is that what is it don't go after running back now where i'm just saying we need another hundred carries james don't do that but to your point like delp could be that dude and if you could get them at 1-10,
Starting point is 00:29:32 now's the time. Like I know there are a lot of people that are like, oh, well, you stuff to do this on defense or obviously this or that. If Delps there at 110, assuming they haven't addressed tight-end, hard for me to pass on him. And that's what Brennan Thompson just sitting there,
Starting point is 00:29:46 staring at me with his speed. Yeah, I do think that as I pulled up some other positions here, for those of you watching on YouTube, I pulled out defensive tackle corner and safety as well because they've got some of the, slot guys categorizes corners. I do think that Keontes Scott, Jalen Kennedy, and Jalen Kilgore
Starting point is 00:30:04 are all quite tempting. There's not really a defensive tackle here. And this is where, like, if you don't get the defensive tackle early, like Zane Durant, Caleb Proctor, later on this board, you would have to take them here if you want one of those guys.
Starting point is 00:30:17 And if you wanted to make an argument for Zane Durant, you could very much do so here. You wanted to make an argument for Caleb Proctor, a small school guy, a lot of ability. You could certainly do so here. but if you wanted to pick an offensive player, Landon Robinson, the other one, Navy. Maybe you can get him a little bit later,
Starting point is 00:30:34 but we don't have a fifth round pick for the Cincinnati Bengals. So you're kind of last stop for a lot of guys before a cliff. So you can go Oscar Delph and potentially get that all-round tight end that he can do everything. You don't have to take him off the field, especially if he puts on like five more pounds, the potential for Oscar Delp really, really high. and I think a really exciting prospect.
Starting point is 00:30:59 On the other side, I think Jalen Kilgore also a pretty exciting prospect, and maybe he can be that safety slot defender that you need. I think that is a real debate with those guys and maybe one of these defensive tackles. But let's have some fun and draft Oscar Delph, shall we? And get an offensive player here because we've added three fallers on defense that fit some holes, and people can yell at us in the comments about what we should have done. And all these books, I'm sure there are people that think we should have done. something different at every single pick.
Starting point is 00:31:27 There's going to be Caleb Downs, people out there that want us to pick Caleb Downs in the first round. There's going to be people who think this Oscar Delp pick is a D, like A to Z sports thinks it is here in the fourth round. Yeah. Sign me up for this hall. Bailey Johnson, Golda, Delp A, that's an A draft. I'm not listening to any simulator grade. It doesn't matter. If you could get this, if you could sign me up for this on, uh, John's,
Starting point is 00:31:55 draft weekend, the first four picks. And then guess what? Round six and seven, those are just gravy because you've just addressed needs with talented guys that all might be able to help right away and turn things around for the Bengals and their quest to get back to the playoffs. It's been a while since they've been in the playoffs, Jake. They need to figure that out. I'm just glad that, yeah, I agree.
Starting point is 00:32:17 I'm just glad that there's some guys that we really like. And Bailey Johnson, day three, round three, round four, like some, Some really fun names there still. And I'm really looking forward to our series, too. If you're getting sick of the mock drafts, whatever, there's a couple more mock drafts before the draft. That's what happens this time of year. We have our positional deep dive series.
Starting point is 00:32:38 It might be starting this week with tight end. And we're going to get into a bunch of positions, targets for each day of the draft with some fun guests. So looking forward to that as well. But that's going to do it for this episode of the Lockdown Bengals podcast. Until next time, thanks for listening. who day and have a good one

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